🥾Welcome to my Coast to Coast journey! This unique trail spans England from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire. 🌿
This footpath stands out because it's a patchwork of existing routes, not a single trail, all thanks to the legendary Alfred Wainwright. 🙏 Most people refer to it as the Coast to Coast Walk. #C2C #Coast2Coast
It showcases a variety of landscapes, from the serene Lake District to the charming Yorkshire Dales and the rolling North York Moors, all while unraveling England's rich history.🙏
🚶♀️🚶♂️ Join me as I embark on this extraordinary adventure with Gemma Smith, sharing daily stats, highlights, and challenges along the way. Let's explore England's Coast to Coast Footpath together!
Ps - We're doing the walk in REVERSE!! Starting from Robin Hood's Bay and finishing at St Bees.
Getting to the Start Line....
ℹ️ Stats - Day 0 - Travel Day
Date: Friday 18th August
From: Wirral
Start time: 4.37pm
To: YHA Boggle Hole @yhabogglehole
End time: 8.20pm
Method: car🚗 thank you to Gemma’s Dad who drove us 🙏
Weather: cloudy, rain was coming in. Dry in the evening.
Accommodation: YHA Boggle Hole - Private Room, bunk bed - top bunk. £75 #gifted 🙏
Food resupply £42
Challenges: getting all packed up! Why does it take so long?!
Highlights: arriving at YHA Boggle Hole. It’s in such a gorgeous location. Can’t wait to see what it’s like in the morning.
Exciting news: I'm thrilled to team up with YHA to bring you the ultimate hiking experience for the YHA Festival of Walking! 🚶♀️🚶♂️
What's in it for you? Well, YHA is going all out to make this adventure unforgettable.
We're talking a fantastic 20% off selected stays, handy self-guided maps that include the YHA Boggle Hole easy route, YHA Boggle Hole moderate route, and YHA Boggle Hole challenging route to cater to your hiking preferences. These maps will make you feel like a seasoned explorer!
But it doesn't end there. Join guided social walks that'll connect you with fellow explorers. And guess what? It gets even sweeter – A FREE cuppa and a delicious slice of cake to refuel along the way!
About YHA
YHA is a charity that transforms young lives forever through travel and real adventure.
They provide amazing places to stay and unique opportunities to explore. They fund stays for families and young people facing adversity so that everyone has the chance to gain new confidence, new skills and a new perspective on the world.
Everyone who stays at one of their hostels, cabins or campsites contributes to their work as a youth charity. The income they generate is reinvested back into their buildings and programmes, enabling them to achieve greater reach and impact on young people with challenging lives.
Feeling inspired to embark on your own adventure? 🥾🌿
Visit YHA Borrowdale for more information about YHA Borrowdale and to plan your stay.
Explore other YHA locations and find the perfect places to stay in England and Wales during your adventures.
Discover more about their hostels across the country at YHA Hostels.
If you prefer camping or cabins, YHA offers those options too. Learn more at YHA Camping and Cabins.
Get the best price by booking directly through YHA. Visit yha.org.uk.
📍The official start of the Coast 2 Coast.
👉Most people walk from St Bees (West Coast) to Robin Hood’s Bay (East Coast). We’re doing it the other way around as it makes it easier to get home to the Wirral after we finish.
🥾190 miles / 300 km
🏔️total ascent of 6995m (22,825ft)
🗓️12 days - average 16 miles per day / 25 km per day.
The Coast to Coast path is not a National Trail at the moment. But it will be turned into one in 2025.🥳
ℹ️ Stats - Day 1
Date: Saturday 19th August
From: YHA Boggle Hole
Start time: 9.40am
To: close to Grosmont
End time: 7.33pm
Terrain: varied - road, moor, forests
Weather: hot and sunny!
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: Breakfast - BIG fry up (cooked by me) 3x Sausages, Bacon, eggs, avocado, (wheat free toast). Lunch - egg Mayo sandwiches. Snacks - crisps, jelly sweets, strawberry crew sweets.
🥾Miles: 21 miles - includes the extra walk from the YHA Boggle Hole.
🦶Steps: 44,041
Total miles completed: 15/181
💰Costs: £0
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 6/10
Fatigue: 7/10 - felt wiped out. Started my period 🩸which is never good for me. Feel so tired. In bed by 8.45pm ready to sleep 💤
Ease of terrain: 6/10 - felt like lots of up and down.
Challenges: 🦶feet getting wet in the moors. My shoulders were also absolutely killing me from carrying my pack. I don’t know what I’ve packed. It’s so heavy. It feels heavier than when I started Offa’s Dyke! I should’ve known better.
Highlights: dipping my hand in the water to start the walk! The heather was stunning such a beautiful colour purple 💜. Pretty waterfall and stunning weather.
ℹ️Stats - Day 2
Date: Sunday 20th August
From: close to Grosmont
Start time: 7.10am
To: close to round hill (454m)
End time: 5.50pm
Terrain: forest, road walking, moors, flat gravel paths in the afternoon (very accessible)
Weather: hot and sunny with wind 💨
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: egg sandwich for breakfast, homemade flapjacks, crisps, boiled egg, peanuts, 2x granola bars, chewy sweets.
🥾Miles: 23.8 miles
🦶Steps: 49,161
Total miles completed: 35/181
💰Costs: £0
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10 a solid day of walking.
Fatigue: 5/10 starting to have more energy’s. I’ll be back to normal tomorrow 👍
Ease of terrain: 5/10 pretty good going. Lots of long easy stretches.
Challenges: my shoulders and hip bones are still giving me so much pain. I need to eat more food and reduce the weight of my pack!
Highlights: reaching the pub after a massive road walk. Doing more miles than we needed to - which takes the pressure off the next few days. We’re doing the walk in 12 days.
ℹ️ Stats - Day 3
Date: Monday 21st August
From: close to round hill (454m)
Start time: 7.40am
To: fields near Deighton.
End time: 7pm
Terrain: moors, forests, lots of steep little climbs, farmers fields, gravel tracks. We’ve finished the North Yorkshire Moores!!!
Weather: windy 🌬️ and sunny ☀️
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: rice cakes, dried mango, 2x granola bars, dark chocolate. Flapjack x2. 2x crisps, Peanuts.
🥾Miles: 21 miles
🦶Steps: 43,794
Total miles completed: 52.5/181
💰Costs: £4 - 2 drinks & 3 packs of crisps
£4.25 hot chocolate, 2x black current & water, 1x crisps.
Total £8.25
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10 - amazing views across the moorlands.
Fatigue: 5/10 had a good rest on a bench. - took 30 mins to chill, dry the tent and get my hair re-braided
Ease of terrain: 6/10 - some tough little sections. A few places with lots of stairs.
Challenges: Crossing the A19 a dual carriageway- very fast traffic!!! Got the heart racing!
Highlights: Reaching the Bluebell pub and having some crisps and a soft drink. Having accommodation booked for Richmond 🙏 (Thank you Gemma). 19 miles to get to Richmond with check in at 2pm 🥳
ℹ️Stats - Day 4
Date: Tuesday 22nd August
From: fields near Deighton.
Start time: 7.20am
To: Richmond
End time: 5.40pm
Terrain: so varied today; forests, farmers fields, road walking, fields with cows, sheep 🐑 and horses 🐴 & through small towns and past little cottages.
Weather: hot, sunny ☀️ & windy 🌬️
Accommodation: Pub/Hotel - The Unicorn 🦄. Bed 🛏️ #bliss.
Food: salted peanuts, small rice cakes, 1/2 bag of dried mango, small bar of dark salted caramel chocolate, chewy sweets, big bag of ready salted crisps. Coke cola. Wheat free bread, red pepper hummus with chicken.
🥾Miles: 22
🦶Steps: 45,713
Total miles completed: 70/181
💰Costs: £90 accommodation #gifted (Thank you Gemma 🙏)
Food shop at Co-Op £12.75
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10 another super solid day. Great walking, great weather, great food, great company.
Fatigue: 2/10 - feel back to normal and legs have adapted.
Ease of terrain: 5/10 not as tough as previous days
Challenges: walking through maize fields. The farmer didn’t left any room for walkers, so we ending up walking through the crops. Which isn’t great.
Highlights: added motivation to get up and moving to get to the accommodation asap. Getting the tent dry in the sunshine ☀️ having a hot shower 🚿 and a lovely bed for the night. Getting a plan sorted for the next few days.
ℹ️Stats - Day 5
Date: Wednesday 23rd August
From: Richmond
Start time: 9.15 am
To: Gunnerside on the River Swale
End time: 7.15 pm
Terrain: very easy going. One small climb out of Richmond, then grassy fields, through farm land & forests next to the river.
Weather: dry, hot and sunny ☀️
Accommodation: wild camping 🏕️
Food: athletic green juice, breakfast bag home made, dark salted chocolate, sweets, 2x fruit roll ups. Lunch - rice crackers, peanut butter & blueberries 🫐. Crisps, Peanuts, & more dark chocolate.
🥾Miles: 19.5 * I think my watch has started to be over generous with distance. I think it’s about 2 miles out. When I check the distance with Hiiker (via the measurement tool - pro feature) it says I’ve done 17.2 miles! Maybe it’s time for a new watch!!
🦶Steps: 41,448
Total miles completed: 89.5/181
💰Costs: £2 blackcurrant & water
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10 - gorgeous day 😀
Fatigue: 1/10 - no tiredness, but my left shoulder is still playing up. And is very painful - especially with the pack on.
Ease of terrain: 1/10 good day, terrain wise. Nothing challenging at all.
Challenges: none.
Highlights: chilling for an hour at lunch time. Sunbathing ☀️. Diversity of scenery, easy flat terrain, walking by the river. No cows!
ℹ️Stats - Day 6
Date: Thursday 24th August
From: Gunnerside on the river Swale
Start time: 7.20am
To: Kirby Stevens
End time: 6.50pm
Terrain: flat green valley walking through fields with sheep, moor land, bog, road walking.
Weather: started wet - packed up wet tents. It did dry out. Really hot & sunny towards the end of the day
Accommodation: Black Bull Pub, Kirby Stevens
Food: protein trek bar, sweets 🍬, peanuts, 2x packs of wine gums. Dinner - burger with bacon, salad & fried 😋
🥾Miles: 22
🦶Steps: 46,646
Total miles completed: 103/181
💰Costs: £2 2x mini packs of wine gums.
Accommodation #gifted thank you 🙏 Gemma
Dinner £12.95
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10 another awesome day out in the Yorkshire Dales!!
Fatigue: 1/10 - still got a sore left shoulder. But feeling strong 💪
Ease of terrain: 3/10 apart from a few challenging sections through bogs it was pretty ok going.
Challenges: packing up wet tents. Bog - big bog. Trying to dry the tents in very little sun and no wind. Plus we picked the worst spot as the midges started to attack us!
Highlights: Gemma going for a swim 🥶 not my cup of tea! Crossing the Pennine Way (I really want to walk this in the future) Deciding to take the green route through the Yorkshire Dales. Seeing the horses 🐴. Final 3 mile walk downhill into Kirby Stevens. The sun came out and the views were glorious 🥳
ℹ️Stats - Day 7
Date: Friday 25th August
From: Kirby Stevens
Start time: 10.45am - we stopped off to get Gemma some new shoes and did a food resupply at Spar
To: outside Orton
End time: 5.45 ish
Terrain: rolling hills, pasture lands.
Weather: little bits of rain here and there - lovely sunshine around 2pm with wind 💨 then rain, then sun, then rain! It didn’t know what it wanted to do.
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: 9am breakfast- 2x eggs, 2x crispy bacon, avocado, beans, mushrooms, hash brown. Snacks while walking - wine gums, GF biscuits
Lunch - rice cakes & peanut butter
Werthers Originals
Dinner - gf biscuits & Werthers Originals
🥾Miles: 14
🦶Steps: 29,042
Total miles completed: 114/181
💰Costs: £7.43 food resupply at Spar - dried mango, wine gums, wethers originals, gluten free cookies & GF biscuits.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 5/10 bit of a meh day
Fatigue: 5/10 - super hard to get going this morning. The body was not playing ball - started to ease into it around lunchtime.
Ease of terrain: 3/10
Challenges: feeling tired - which is annoying as I slept so well last night. Had a good dinner the night before and a good breakfast this morning. Wasn’t feeling it today.
Highlights: amazing sleep last night! Slept from 10pm til 6.45am.
ℹ️Stats - Day 8
Date: Saturday 26th August
From: outside Orton
Start time: 7.20am
To: lake past Burn Banks
End time: 7pm ish
Terrain: over the last section of the Dales, sharp uphill to start the day then flat, green, pasture lands - a little rolling.
Weather: dry - with a cold wind. Needed to keep the waterproofs on to stop the chill - afternoon was constant rain 🌧️
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: breakfast- cashew nuts.
Lunch hot chocolate (soya) with vegan marshmallows . Egg & bacon bap (gf), carrot cake (gf) 😋
Snacks - wine gums
Dinner - pack of chicken, wine gums & minstrels
🥾Miles: 20.4
🦶Steps: 42,124
Total miles completed: 130/181
💰Costs: Angela Kitchen, Shap £23.55 (lunch for Gemma & me)
Food resupply at co-op £8.20 (pack of chicken, baked beans, chocolate minstrels, 2x wine gums)
Total £31.75
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 6/10 - much better day today - I think it’s because we started early and that helps when you have big miles to do.
Fatigue: 2/10 - still got pain in my left shoulder. But feeling good
Ease of terrain: 3/10 - nothing super hard
Challenges: constant rain throughout the day, wet feet, midges at the end of the day. Not feeling inspired when buying food - so not making the most healthy choices.
Highlights: starting early, drying tents in the little bit of sunshine that was available. Crossing the M6, reaching Shap having a nice lunch before reaching the Lake District.
ℹ️Stats - Day 9
Date: Sunday 27th August
From: lake past Burn Banks
Start time: 7.45am
To: Grisedale
End time: 5.15 pm
Terrain: steep climb to start, gentle scramble, rocky paths, grassy descents, very wet underfoot.
Weather: drizzle and rain all day. A tiny bit of sunshine and wind.
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: breakfast bag (with oats, protein powder @Protein_rebel, collagen powder, chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, raisins), werthers originals. Lunch - small can of baked beans & 3x rice crackers. Early dinner at pub - chicken burger, chips & salad.
🥾Miles: 12.5 miles
🦶Steps: 25,621
Total miles completed: 140/181
💰Costs: £2.20 x2 blackcurrant & water. Chicken burger & bacon with chips & salad £13.65. Cheesy chips & gravy (Gemma) £6. £2.20 2x blackcurrant & water
Total £24.05
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 3/10
Ease of terrain: 5/10
Challenges: steep climb in the am. Climbing 792m - the highest point on the coast to coast walk. Getting tents dry in-between the rain showers.
Highlights: The white lion pub (great music & good food) very busy towards the end of the day. Angle Tarn - was very pretty. We did an epic little run down a steep descent - which was awesome!
ℹ️Stats - Day 10
Date: Monday 28th August
From: Grisedale
Start time: 7.40am
To: Borrowdale
End time: 6pm
Terrain: steep climb up to - long descent past waterfalls - more climbing and a steep descent. Tough day.
Weather: 🌧️rain pretty much throughout the day 🌧️
Accommodation: YHA Borrowdale #gifted private room - bottom bunk 🛏️
Food: cashew nuts & dried mango. Lunch - chicken, baked beans & potato salad. A bounty & galaxy ripple x2. trek bar, half a large bag of crisps, glass of wine
🥾Miles: 18 miles
🦶Steps: 37,758
Total miles completed: 153/181
28miles to go.
💰Costs: £24.55 co-op food resupply
£0.60 toilet at Grasmere
Drinks £7.25 white wine & an orange soft drink.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 7/10
Challenges: rough descent from lining crag down to green upgill - I wasn’t a fan - it was slippy rocks - really steep going. (Gemma was a mountain goat 🐐) especially on the downhill.
Plus the weather - omg - the amount of waterproofs on and off - I changed clothing so many times!!!
Before lunch - 574m of climbing
After lunch Over 600m of ascent and descent.
Highlights: Reaching the @YHABorrowdale at 6pm. making use of the drying room, having a hot shower 🚿, charging electronics and making use of the wifi. We chilled on comfy sofas and put our feet up. It was great! 🥳
Cuddles with monkey the dog 🐶
ℹ️Stats - Day 11
Date: Tuesday 29th August
From: YHA Borrowdale (Rosthwaite)
Start time: 8am
To: Ennerdale Bridge - Fox & Hound Pub
End time: 5pm
Terrain: lots of steps and rocky paths up the mountain. A little bit of grassy sections. Then forestry gravel roads around the lake, followed by road walking into Ennerdale
Weather: showery in the morning 🌧️. Sunny & windy 🌬️ in the afternoon
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: breakfast bag, bounty, galaxy ripple, trek bar, 1/4 crisps, gf chocolate cookies 🍪, galaxy ripple, blueberries
Dinner - chicken breast, chips, cabbage, carrots & peppercorn sauce (gf)
🥾Miles:17 miles
🦶Steps: 34,604
Total miles completed: 167/181
💰Costs: £0. Gemma paid for dinner & accommodation 🙏 (The Fox & Hound, Ennerdale Bridge)
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 2/10
Ease of terrain: 3/10
Challenges: 1️⃣we had to watch our footing on some of the descents - wet slippy rocks
2️⃣Weather in the am - didn’t know what it was doing! 3️⃣Unasked for comments from random men about the fact that we were wearing waterproofs 👉We were wearing waterproofs as we had just come down from 630m and there was lots of cold wind blowing!! When I explain the concept of wind chill. They also put their waterproofs on!! 🤣🤣🤣
Highlights: getting to the Fox and Hound at Emmerdale Bridge. Having a fantastic dinner and then finding out they had a room available 🥳🙏. Which Gemma very kindly paid for. What a legend ☺️#sponsoredbygemma 🙏
ℹ️Stats - Day 12 - Final day!
Date: Wednesday 30th August
From: Ennerdale Bridge
Start time: 9am
To: St Bees 🐝
End time: 3.33pm
Terrain: 1 smallish climb up to 350 metres. Downhill fields, gravel paths, through fields and the final stretch of coastal walking.
Weather: ☀️sunny & hot
Accommodation: home 🏡 my bed!
Food: 8am Breakfast - crispy bacon, beans, fried egg, mushrooms
Snacks - galaxy ripple, bounty, trek bar, blueberries & blackberries
🥾Miles: 17 miles
🦶Steps: 34,599
Total miles completed: 181/181
💰Costs: £0
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 2/10 - on the drive back - I had some big yawns 🥱- I’ll sleep well tonight!
Ease of terrain: 2/10 - relatively easy final day.
Challenges: not really!!
Highlights: having very light packs (Gemma parents has collected loads of our stuff the night before - so I was carrying water, waterproofs, puffy, & a few snacks). Picking & eating lots of blackberries. Seeing the Irish Sea and the final stretch of coastal walking. Seeing the sunflower 🌻 field & reaching the end of the walk! Putting my hand in the Irish Sea 🌊
🥾Coast to Coast Walk Total Stats
Days: 12 days on the Coast to Coast. 1 day travel to start. So 13 days in total.
From: 18th August - 30th August 2023
Travel: car 🚕
From: YHA Boggle Hole
To: St Bees
Earliest start time: 7.10am - Day 2
Latest start time: 10.45am - Day 7
Earliest end time: 3.33pm - Day 12
Latest end time: 7.33pm - Day 1
Longest time on feet: Day 8 from outside Orton to lake past Burn Banks: 11 hrs and 40 mins / 20.4 miles / 42,124 steps 👣
Shortest day: Day 12 the final day from Ennerdale Bridge to St Bees: 14 miles / 34,599 steps. Started at 9am and finished by 3.33pm.
Accommodation: Wild camping 8 nights, YHA Borrowdale & YHA Boggle Hole, Pub/Hotel 3 nights.
🥾Total Miles: 228
🥾Total Km: 367
🦶Total Steps: 474,551
Average daily miles: 19
Average daily km: 24
Average daily steps: 49,161
💷Total Costs: £340
💷Average costs per day: £28
💷Total Accommodation Costs: £420 #gifted
💷Total Food Costs: £175
💷Average Food Costs: £15
💷Travel Costs: £0
💷Misc costs: toilet at Grasmere. £0.60
A massive thank you all for joining me on this incredible journey along Coast to Coast Walk. It's been an amazing adventure. I hope these updates have helped you connect with the beauty of this path.
I filmed the challenge and the vlogs will be coming out later on this year. You'll be able to watch on the Tough Girl Youtube Channel.
Keep exploring, keep making memories, and thanks for being part of this adventure. Until next time, take care and continue your adventures!
